Department of Technical Education

Andhra Pradesh
Name of the Staff member :P. Suryanarayana Reddy
Designation : HCES
Branch : Civil Engineering
Institute : Govt. Polytechnic, Anantapur
Semester : VI Semester
Subject : Maintenance of Buildings
Subject Code : C 606C
Topic : Maintenance Problems in Buildings
and their Solutions
Duration : 50 minutes
Sub topic : Cracks due to moisture change
Teaching Aids : PPT, Animations and Sketches
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 Objectives

On the completion of this period, you would be

able to understand

• IS:25-1984 specifications

• Principal causes of occurrence of cracks

• Cracks due to moisture changes

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 Recap
We have discussed the following in previous class
Vertical cracks in external walls
• Diagonal cracks in external walls across the corner of
two adjoining walls
• Diagonal cracks (Boundary wall)
• Vertical cracks in external wall near corner of building
• Cracks due to settlement, concentrated loads and
expansion &contraction
• Items to be inspected in brick masonry

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Principal Causes for Occurrence of Cracks as per
IS : 25 - 1984

• Moisture changes

• Thermal variation

• Elastic deformation

• Creep

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 Principal Causes for Occurrence of Cracks as per
IS : 25 – 1984 (contd..)

• Chemical reaction

• Foundation movement and settlement of soils

• Vegetation

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 Moisture Change

• Most of the building materials having pores in their

structure in the form of inter molecular space

• Materials are expand on absorbing moisture and shrink

on drying

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Moisture Change (contd..)

• These movements are reversible

• Cycle in the nature and are caused by increase or

decrease in the inter pore pressure

• The extent of movement depends on molecular structure

and porosity of material

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Moisture Change (contd..)

• Apart from reversible movement , some materials under

go irreversible movement due to initial moisture changes

after their manufacture

• Ex. Shrinkage of cement and lime based materials on

initial drying

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 Classification of Building Materials Based on
Moisture Change (Reversible Movement) :

a) Materials of small moisture change :

Ex. Burnt clay bricks, Igneous rocks, Lime stone

• Use of these materials does not call much attention

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Classification of building materials based on moisture
change (contd.)

b) Materials of moderate moisture change :

• Ex. Concrete, sand – lime bricks, cement and lime
mortars

• Use of these materials required some precautions in

design and construction

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Classification of building materials based on moisture
change (contd.)

c) Materials having high moisture change :

Ex. Timber, wood, cement products, Ply wood,

• Use these materials, special techniques of treatment at

joints and protective coats on surface are required

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Shrinkage is One of the Main Causes
of Cracking in Structures

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Fig.1
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Fig.2

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Initial Shrinkage :

• Initial shrinkage in cement concrete and cement mortar

depends on the following

a) Cement content
b) Water content
c) Max. size, grading and quality of aggregate
d) Use of Calcium chloride as accelerator

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(contd..)

e) Curing

f) Presence of excess fines

g) Humidity

h) Composition of cement

i) Temperature

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 Summary

In this class, we have discussed about

• Principal causes of occurrence of cracks as per

IS:25-1984

• Influence of moisture change in building materials

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 Quiz

1) Following responsible for initial shrinkage in C.M and

C.C material

a) Cement content

b) Water content

c) Type of aggregate

d) All the above

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2) Crack due to thermal movement is

A) Structural crack

B) Non Structural crack

C) Above two are correct

D) Non of the above

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 Frequently Asked Questions

1) Explain the cracks due to shrinkage?

2) What is classification of material w.r.t Shrinkage as per

IS : 25 – 1984?

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Thank you !

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